Features:

  • After 13 years, the role playing game of the ages returns with Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS
  • Crono, meets an adventurous girl named Marle, and accidentally travels back in time 400 years
  • Past, present, and future worlds collide as Crono tries to save the planet
  • Revised version of the groundbreaking Active Time Battle (ATB) System delivers exhilarating combat
  • Special Tech skills and powerful combos, known as Dual and Triple Techs, encourages strategic battle plans
... that is regarded by many as one of the best RPGs of all time

Chrono Trigger is a true classic that is regarded by many as one of the best RPGs of all time. It is my personal favorite, and I still consider it to be the greatest RPG ever made. It is the RPG by which all other RPGs should be judged by, in terms of gameplay, story, sound, and overall quality. [If you do not want to read through the ENTIRE review, you can read the last paragraph where i briefly summarize some of the higher merits of the game] [You may skip this first paragraph if you want to get to the review proper] The Premise of the story and plot is centered around the concept of time. It is the year 1000 A.D. You play the role of Chrono, a spiky-haired teen who lives with his mom and cat in the kingdom of Guardia. At Guardia's Millennial Fair, he meets Marle, the king's tomboyish daughter. Together, they go to see Crono's friend Lucca's new invention, which is a transportation device that will beam someone from one pod to the other. Marle offers to try it out, but the mysterious pendant she wears reacts to the machine's energy, and she is pulled through a portal opened up by the pendant. Crono goes through the portal to try to bring her back, and ends up 400 years in the past! Thus begins a long journey to stabilize the time stream and put the universe back in its working order before the day of the apocalypse. If that does not sound interesting to you already then rpgs just may not be your cup of tea. This is merely just the prologue of the story. The main party of characters will grow as you travel across many time periods, and even alternate time lines in an attempt to save the future from the past. The plot becomes very rich and deep, which makes it very easy to get into and create a truly immense world for the gamer to delve in to. The gameplay in Chrono Trigger is some of the best in any RPG. Ever. Being an RPG, it has the same basic formula of other games in the genre during the SNES era. There are two parties, and you take turns attacking each other. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. Like some other RPGs, the battles are not random. Instead, you see the enemies on your screen before battle, and you can avoid them if you please (Grandia, Secret of Mana, and others use similar systems). When you begin a battle in Chrono Trigger, the first thing you will notice is that the parties aren’t lined up in straight lines across the field like in so many other RPGs. During the fight, your characters will move all around the field, which makes for a more realistic experience and even adds to the strategy. The next thing you will notice is the bar below each of your character’s names. This is what is referred to as an ACT bar. When a character’s ACT bar is fully filled, they can perform an action. In Chrono Trigger, the three actions are Attack, Tech, and Item. Choosing attack will have your character unleash a standard attack on an enemy of your choice. Item will have them use an item. Now that the obvious is out of the way, let’s move our focus to the Tech option, and the real innovation of Chrono Trigger. This is one feature that really sets this game apart from anything else out there. The Tech option opens a list of special attacks (all character specific) that can be used by your character. You can wait until your other characters have filled their ACT bars and unleash a bigger Tech attack. Combinations of different characters have different Tech attacks, and each attack has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, Crono and Frog can perform the X Slash attack together after they have both learned certain Techs, while Marle and Crono can perform Aura Whirl together. As each character learns new Techs and the game progresses, new Dual Techs and even Triple Techs will be added to the list. This adds a lot of strategy to the game and makes the battles very intense. Although the amount of 3d animation effects will not live up to games like Final fantasy VII or Final fantasy IX, obviously because these are from the 16 bit era. But during their time, I can’t stress enough that Final Fantasy VI and chrono trigger are two games that really pushed the power and the boundaries of the SNES in regards to graphics. The graphics in CT are absolutely wonderful, perhaps only being passed by those found in Seiken Densetsu 3 for the title of best looking SNES game. Everything is gorgeous. The character designs done by Akira Toriyama give the characters an anime look and feel to them. The environments in the game look very detailed, colorful, and extremely fitting to the atmosphere. On more than one occasion, I’ve found myself gazing at the rich 2D world in awe. This is what 2D games should look like. Chrono Trigger sets a benchmark for all SNES games, and all 2D games in general. Every single person, house, enemy, and blade of grass has its own touch to it. It brings the story to life in a way that can’t be matched. Chrono Trigger is also relatively short, which helps when playing through multiple times. There are many side quests in the game. I guess you can say that’s one flaw if I had to put any complaint at all on this title, is it’s a bit short, in comparison to most Final fantasy Games like IV, VI, VII, VIII, and IX. Most of them aren't necessary to finish the game, but you can get some very valuable items if you take the time to complete them. But being a little on the shorter end gives you more of an incentive to want to replay the game multiple times to unlock all that extra content. Speaking of extra content, Chrono trigger has an immense amount of extra stuff you can do either during game or post end game. There are so many extra side quests an stuff to accomplish, probably not as much as Final fantasy XII but still very close to it. Each little extra scenario also comes with its own plot threads that help resolve some character background story and adds to the plot, it’s not just a bunch of typical fetch quests, or hunting monsters. Chrono Trigger shines in all aspects, but one area where it really shines is music. Famed Composers, Yasunori Mitsuda who also worked on Chrono Cross by himself and Nobuo Uematsu come together to bring you the best music of any game and of any generation that will live on in your memory for years to come. Out of all my years of playing video games, I've never played a game with better music than Chrono Trigger with the exception of Final fantasy VI. [See my review] Comparing and contrasting musical scores from both games is just extremely difficult for me. Both of them are absolutely stellar, any fan can tell you this rather they knock the game because their a western audience fanbase and they think all jrpgs fall into niche cliché category, lots of little minor faults that people point out all the time in video games, especially a small niche genre like jrpgs are accustomed to a lot of hate and debate. There is no denying MUSIC is absolutely both of these games strongest aspects If anyone tells you different or is argumentative and debates this matter, from my personal point of view most likely they are trolling. Every song in the game is well-done, and many of them are simply masterpieces. There are a large variety of musical styles in the game, and each song fits perfectly with its situation, conveying the feeling that it is supposed to just like the phenomenal scores used in Final fantasy VI and other games from the “Black Mages” Magus's theme is dark and foreboding, perfect for his character. The song playing while in Guardia Castle is one of my favorites, with a triumphant feel to it. The music playing during major boss battles conveys a sense of awe, importance, and urgency. The imfamous Frog theme during the opening of his characters and the poetic lines of dialogue he uses gives you a sense of a strong personalized character with great leadership qualities much like Cyan's theme in Final fantasy VI. (I do want to stress for those that are probably wondering, the frog dialogue has been changed in the DS version of this game. It no longer has that poetic ancient eastern fantasy dialect that the original had) The regular battle music is catchy, like many of the songs. The over world map themes are actually some of the best in the game, better than most other games. The music is so good that I actually have the Chrono Trigger soundtrack, and I highly recommend getting it if you can. Chrono Trigger's replay value is another thing that i absolutly can't forget to mention, for a number of reasons. There are about 12 possible endings you can get, depending on what you do during the game. Playing repeatedly again just to get all the endings alone is worth it. A great feature that adds to the replay value is “New Game +” This feature at the time was a very unique idea only implemented in a very few selection of games, in fact im not entirely sure if chrono trigger was the first game to implement this feature, it very well could have been but it became so popular that now a days it’s pretty much used in almost any mainstream title of this generation and last generation and has diverted into various other genre’s of video gaming. This makes playing through again and getting all of the endings a lot easier. Same with Chrono cross for the playstation. This is also necessary in order to get some of the endings, which I won’t spoil. Chrono Trigger excels in all areas; its gameplay, its story line, its character, personality, graphics and sounds. If that weren't enough, there are twelve different endings you can watch, so there will be a lot of replay value to look forward to and a ton of end game content that make sup for the rather shorter main story. There's very few flaws in this game, that I would go as far as saying it's flawless. The game feels so comfortable, that it molds into you. And the battle system feels so polished; comparing from a visual point of view from many other games on the snes it’s clear which game has the better graphical quality. you'll never get bored of it. The beautiful cast in Chrono Trigger is unforgettable, and when departing with them, you'll feel kind of sad that the game finally ends.

GOAT

One of the best games ever made. I'm just happy I was able to grab a copy after recently getting a 3DS. I enjoyed it more now than I did when I first played it on the SNES when I was younger. The themes are mature and the music is absolutely incredible, one of the best video game soundtracks alongside Chrono Cross (both created by composer Yoshinori Mitsuda). It's a great introduction for anyone that wants to experience what is regarded as arguably the best example of a perfect JRPG from the 16-bit era.

Still great after all these years

This game is absolutely fantastic. It completely transends time as a classic. I've played it many times as a child and was never able to beat it for some reason. I finally decided to buy the DS port because I heard it was the superior version(minus the sound quality) and I'm glad I did. This game holds a very special place in my heart, from the characters to the story and music This game is an absolute masterpiece. It wisks you away on this long journey(which in reality is about 20-25 hours) and makes you feel for the characters and their stuggles and it does time travel right!(amazing!) If you don't already own this game and have been thinking about picking it up, do so. It is a timeless masterpiece that should be enjoyed by anyone who's willing.

Classic old game favorite, now made portable!

This has been an old favorite game since it's original release on the SNES system in 1995 and it pleases me to find out its been made portable. The game story and New Game + feature always gave it a lot of replay value, but I've learned since receiving this version release that the DS production included another side Arena feature that allows one to raise a monster to fight within the game and through wireless connect for additional game play value. The original story was always engaging and constantly making me question if I've discovered all possible aspects to create the best possible game save when traveling through time. While I would have been content with just a port from a console system to a portal system for nostalgic game play value -- I'm glad to see that additional content was both considered and added which makes it more of an addition to my collection versus just re-buying the game on a different system platform. For those not familiar with the game or story itself, this is definitely one to experience for yourself versus watching any online game play through videos. As the player you get to make choices that will affect your game that an online game play through will not cover. This aspect makes the game uniquely your own. There are also multiple endings and tangents that not everyone will experience without going through the game themselves. For a game that has been around for about 21 years -- it's one that I've rarely seen drop in price and has become a collector's item in its own right for older and original (non re-release/re-production) copies on older platforms of the game. Unless you personally didn't enjoy the story or style of game-play design, it's very difficult to find this game put up for re-sale at places like GameStop. The fact that this game is now made portable and its original design made it easy to pick up and put down between game sessions has made it a favorite go-to game when in between something to play with other game releases. Plus now I can take the game with me on a portable game platform which previously was not possible.

...but the future refused to change...

Oh Chrono Trigger. How i miss thee. Fusing the fluidity of the SNES version with the cutscenes of the PSX, adding in a reworked script (though sadly a lack of Ye Olde English on Frog's behalf) along with a new method of playing for a decluttered screen experience, Chrono Trigger DS is well deserving of its "definitive version" status. An RPG for the bygone eras, back when developers were still weaning themselves off of the Arcade Game mindset of "everything has to be bullplop difficult", Chrono Trigger is a game that is honestly, worthy of its E for Everyone rating. While it deals with some interesting takes on the laws of causality, time travel and existence as a whole, newcomers and veterans alike will find something to enjoy. A fairly well developed story for a time period when RPGs were just truly getting into the swing of things, likable cast and occasionally hilarious character interactions, combined with character and enemy designs made by Dragon Ball's Akira Toriyama himself; Chrono trigger DS is definitely a game worth getting for gamers of all ages. ...well, gamers of ages and reading comprehension capability to understand the plot...or at least people who like flashy sounds and colors i guess. This is a game from back when Square-Enix was just Squaresoft. An Active Time Battle system similar to earlier Final Fantasy games, with its own spin of direction based attacks (such as straight lines or circular radii), and combination attacks (double/triple techs), this was the grand-daddy of temporal distortion story gameplay. A stellar soundtrack, sharp visuals (again, considering SNES) and powerful sound effects, at this point, you've probably heard SOMETHING from this game, even if you never heard of the game itself. Iconic songs such as the first Battle Theme, Schala's Theme, Magus' theme, FROG's theme, the Zeal Kingdom overworld theme...there's a reason why we love them so. The difficulty is just right, unless you dont pay attention and never realize how to change party members to fit certain situations. not that you NEED to, but sometimes, you "should". This game comes from before the idea of keeping logs of where you were and where you're going that happens in many modern RPGs, so if you put this down and forget, best look at the save file's description (which is NEW for this version) online so you can recall what you were aiming for. Still one of the best RPGs of a bygone era, and the grandfather of many modern RPG's concepts, Chrono Trigger is worth a grab even if RPGs arent entirely your thing. If only so you can figure out who the hell Schala is, and why her theme is everywhere.

You can't not like this game if you have any appreciation for the ...

You can't not like this game if you have any appreciation for the classic top-down RPGs. It's a game set in the present and present a mystery that takes you all around the world in all different timezones to try and save the world. It has an anime feel to the writing and goes a bit beyond the very simple Good Vs. Evil. One downside though is that, like most RPGs, it has a very linear progression in that you have to go from point A to point B to advance the story but there's also an open world feel to counter that and let you explore. The quality of the music is something that surprised me too. They used what was available back in the day, which is simply MIDI. Yet the soundtracks are catching and thematic and help you feel like instead of a simple game that you are in the middle of an epic story.

One of the best games of all time, even with the silly translation.

I bought this because, well, it's Chrono Trigger and I love this game. Pros 1. Great story filled with lovable characters. Music is fantastic. 2. FMV cut scenes that were not present in earlier versions. 3. The monster training is useless to the story but a fun little add on. 4. Extra ending to set up Chrono Cross (warning: it kinda spoils things if you've never played Chrono Cross) 5. Still works in my 3DS! 6. The main game actions and events remain ultimately unaltered. 7. New dungeons, weapons, bad guys, and such. Woot! Cons 1. The translation is a little goofy. Another reviewer mentioned the quirky item and tech renames and some dialogue changes. They're not all "bad" but they are "annoying" sometimes. 2. The game is slow. I got used to playing it on emulators on my Android devices and the fast forward function makes level grinding sooooo much better. I wish the official versions had this functionality too. Overall, this is a worthy update to the classic SNES title. The small changes and additions add depth to an already full experience. Aside from a full 3D remake, there's really nothing left that Square Enix can do for this game. This is as good as it gets.

This one is like a fusion of the SNES and PS1 games

A classic SNES game ported to the Nintendo DS. This one is like a fusion of the SNES and PS1 games, but more the PS1 version since it has the extras menu and the anime cut-scenes by Toei Animations. It lacks the weird load times the SNES and PS1 version has (PS1 version had the worst), which makes the start of battles really quick and fluid. You're given the option of doing either the DS enhanced commands where you use the touch screen to select commands for your party members, or just to the classic mode and have the menu bar on the top or bottom part of the top screen with the bottom screen hosting enemy names and stats. The dialogue has been changed, forgoing Ted Woolsey's original script from the SNES and PS1 versions for much solid and understandable dialogue. This DS version also includes an extra dungeon you can explore after you beat the game and if you finish said dungeon, you can unlock an extra ending that was included with this version of the game only (it's suppose to connect this game with its sequels Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross). Only bad things I can say about this version is the music, while still very good, suffers from the fault that most DS games have with the music (damn you DS sound chip!). It sounds kind of tinny on some parts of most of the music, but overall it's still great. Also, they used the original box art from the SNES version where it has Marle casting fire....but she's suppose to be casting ice spells....

so this was the next best thing. She tells me that this is everything ...

Bought as a gift for my g/f on her birthday. She had played the hell out of this game when it was on the SNES and wanted to play through it again. We've both since either misplaced or lost our SNES systems and games, so this was the next best thing. She tells me that this is everything the original was and much more. If you want to ride the nostalgia train and/or enjoy a classic RPG then this is most definitely the game you need to get.

A masterpiece

Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest video game RPGs of all time - perhaps one of the greatest video games of all time, period. It features incredible art, incredible music, a great story, great characters, and oh - it's really fun too. (It also has time travel, which I personally always consider a plus.) The DS version of the game is in my opinion the best version of the game so far. It includes all of the cinema scenes created for the Playstation version, without the slow-down when entering the menus that the Playstation version suffered from. It also has several new areas to keep things interesting for us Chrono Trigger veterans (though those new areas aren't nearly as good as the original material), a couple of which answer some of the questions left by Chrono Trigger's very confusing sequel, Chrono Cross. Also, for us English speakers, there is a new translation which not only reads better than the old translation but is more accurate to the original Japanese.

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